Investigating anaerobic respiration in yeast

Problem statement:
what are the product of fermentation?
Procedure :
1. Prepare 2 boiling tube and label it boiling tube A and B
2. boiling tube A is filled with 5 ml of yeast suspension and 15 ml
of boiled glucose solution
3. boiling tube B is filled with only 15 ml of boiled glucose
solution
4. A thin layer of paraffin oil is put on top of the contents of both
boiling tubes
5. boiling tubes are corked with stoppers with delivery tubes
6. the end of each delivery tube is placed into a test tube filled
with 2 ml of lime water
7. the initial temperatures of the contents in both boiling tubes are
recorded
8. the apparatus is left aside for one hour
9. after one hour, the final temperatures are recorded and the
change in lime water is noted
10.
the stoppers are removed and any smell that is released
from the boiling tubes is noted
11. the results are recorded in the table

results
Boiling tube

At the beginning of At the end of the

the experiment
experiment

At the beginning of At the end of the

the experiment
experiment

Temperature (C)

30

31

30

30

Lime water

clear

cloudy

clear

Clear

Smell

Smell of ethanol is Smell of ethanol is Smell of ethanol is Smell of ethanol is

not detected
detected
not detected
not detected

Discussion
1. an aerobic condition occurs when a glucose solution is boiled and
paraffin oil is added to cover the glucose solution. This prevent air from
dissolving in the glucose solution. The glucose solution is boiled to
remove dissolved oxygen
2. test tube B is set up as a control experiment
3. after one hour the contents of boiling tube A are cloudy and foamy
whereas the contents of boiling tube B remain clear and non foamy
4. anaaerobic respiration occur in boiling tube A because the lime water in
test tube A turns cloudy, the temperature of the contents increases and
the smell of ethanol is detected
5. the cloudy lime water indicates the presence of carbon dioxide. The
increase in temperature indicates that heat energy is released. The semll
of ethanol confirms that anaerobic respiration has taken place in boiling
tube A.
6. the process that has taken place in boiling tube A is fermentation.
7. Fermentation by yeast produces ethanol, carbon dioxide and energy
conclusion
in the absence of oxygen, yeast undergoes anaerobic respiration to produce

carbon dioxide, ethanol and energy. The hypothesis is accepted